Weird Missouri/ Open Lines

In the first half, author and radio host, Jim Strait, discussed his research into weird Missouri including tales of UFOs, haunted railroad tracks, and eccentric personalities in the "Show Me State." One the many stories he shared was the case of a bizarre cattle mutilation that happened in the city of Elsbury in the late 1970's. According to Strait, a farmer had been missing some cattle and happened upon one of his cows which appeared to be resting under a tree. When the farmer got closer, he realized that the cow had been mutilated. Noticing an abundance of branches and twigs around the slain animal, the farmer looked up and saw "an obvious, clear pathway where this cow had fallen through the tree." Eerily, on the tree debris that was strewn around the cow were "thousands of flies that were heated and plasticized to the branches."

Beyond the paranormal, Strait also recounted odd events in Missouri's history such as thrillseeking pilots flying through the Gateway Arch in St. Louis and skydivers who attempted to land on the monument. Additionally, he told the story of how the events of 9/11 serendipitously led to the discovery of the oldest cave in North America. He explained that the highway department was drilling blasting holes into a hillside, but had to stop early after the attacks in New York prompted a cease order from the government. Shortly thereafter, in light of safety concerns, permission was granted to detonate the charges they had already placed into the ground. The blast resulted in revealing a cave that was 1.4 million years old and contained a wealth of archaeological evidence. Had the blasting project not been interrupted, the cave would have been destroyed and its treasures never discovered.

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During Open Lines, Tom in Seattle put forward his theory on what is behind the orb phenomenon. He suggested that the objects are remote piloted vehicles featuring an "all aspect camera" and controlled by extraterrestrial in space, who place their consciousness into the orbs. Tom surmised that they are used by the ETs as a way of circumventing rules about the entities making themselves known to humans. He based the concept on his own personal history with UFOs and their occupants, since he claimed to have had "48 alien contacts and visitations to my home." As a result of these encounters, he contended that the information about orbs was "left in my mind and has come to the surface."Later in the evening, Steve in Louisiana revealed a story from his youth which he had never told anyone in 22 years. He recalled being sixteen and smoking a cigarette in his neighborhood park at around 10 o'clock in the evening. He was then approached by a mysterious person who asked for a light for his cigarette. Steve lit the man's cigarette and then, by chance, looked him in the eyes and saw that they were like "the blackest liquid oil or tar you've ever seen." Paralyzed by shock and thinking about how surreal the sight was, the stranger saw Steve's reaction and unleashed a sinister laugh. As the man was walking away, Steve "defrosted" and called out to him. Undeterred, the mysterious entity kept going and, after a few steps, disappeared by leaping over a brick wall.

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